7 days Geneva, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zermatt and Montreux in April
JLB and a friend recently traveled to Switzerland from the United States for a week in late April. They enjoyed their trip but faced some weather challenges, particularly in Zermatt, and plan to return in warmer months like May or September for better hiking opportunities and to visit more attractions.
- Consider traveling in May or September for better weather and more open attractions.
- If you're visiting during the off-season, consider buying 2nd class Swiss Travel Pass tickets since trains are less crowded.
- The SBB app is very helpful for planning train journeys across Switzerland.
AI-generated summary-
This forum was so helpful in the planning of my trip that I wanted to share my trip report:
A friend and I traveled to Switzerland from the United States from April 23rd to April 30th and had a wonderful time. I will definitely return to Switzerland again and again.
There were some things I would do differently next time, but overall I was pleased with my first visit to Switzerland. I would have loved to do some hiking, but my friend wasn’t able to hike so I decided I would do that on my next trip.
We knew the weather would be iffy in April, but I prefer traveling when it is less crowded and less expensive. When I return, I think I’d visit in May or September when more sites/attractions are open and the weather is a little warmer. I found that the weather in Switzerland is very unpredictable. Two weeks before we were there, the weather was in the 70’s (Fahrenheit) in some places . It had snowed for 3-4 days in several places right before we arrived.
Day 1: Arrived in Geneva and took a train directly to Montreux where we stayed at the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, which I would highly recommend. It is directly across the street from the train station and we had a room with a view of Lake Geneva. We walked along the Lakeside Promenade, took the ferry to Château de Chillon castle and rode the bus back to Montreux, took the funicular halfway up to Rochers de Naye (couldn’t go all the way because it was closed due to the the recent snow). We took a 6 minute train ride to Vevey and walked along the Lakeside Promenade before returning to Montreux.
Day 2: We took the Golden Pass Express train to Interlaken where we stayed for 3 nights at Hotel du Nord. I would highly recommend this hotel during the fall, winter or spring. The hotel does not have AC so I can’t imagine that it would be comfortable during the summer. We stayed in the Corner West Room and had a beautiful view of the park from our balcony where we could watch paragliders landing. We upgraded to the Prestige Carriage on the Golden Pass Express and really enjoyed the ride. It only seats 12 people and there were only 6 of us in our carriage. We had a wonderful time talking to the 4 gentlemen from Australia during the 2-hour train ride. We even ran into them later on a boat ride on Lake Brienz. When we arrived in Interlaken, we took a ferry ride on Lake Brienz, spent some time in Brienz, ate dinner and took the train back to Interlaken.
Day 3: We took the Luzern-Interlaken Express to Lucerne. Walked across Chapel Bridge, walked through Olde Town and visited Mt. Pilatus. Unfortunately, the clouds were really low at the top so there was poor visibility. But there is a stop halfway up that had great views of Luzern, so I thought it was still worth it. When I returned to Interlaken, we visited Harder Kulm, which I highly recommend. We went later in the afternoon and I think it would have been better to visit earlier in the day when it was sunny.
Day 4: I visited (my friend stayed in Interlaken as she wasn’t feeling well) Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen & Grindelwald. I mainly just walked around and took pictures in each of these villages. It was a great day. Ate at a delicious restaurant in Lauterbrunnen: Restaurant Weidstubli
Day 5: We had planned to visit Jungfraujoch this day before heading to Zermatt, but after seeing how cold it would be and reading/hearing that it was overrated for the price, we changed out minds. After breakfast, we hung out at the park that was across the street from our hotel for a bit before taking the train to Zermatt where we were scheduled to stay for 2 nights. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the best. It was chilly/rainy and no visibility of the Matterhorn (which was one of the reasons we went). The hotel where we stayed, Hotel Adonis, wasn’t the best either and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Day 6: The weather was the same as it was the day before and since we did not particularly like the hotel where we were staying, we checked out early and took the train back to Montreux where the weather was nicer and we checked back into the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic. When they found out that we were paying for hotels in two different places that night, they gave us an upgrade to our room and threw in breakfast for the next morning (which wasn’t included in our room rate). Best breakfast we had during the entire trip.
Day 7: We took the train back to Geneva so we would be there to catch out flight the next morning. We took the Hop on Hop Off bus tour, walked around in Olde Town.
Here are some things I would do differently next time:
- We purchased 1st class Swiss Travel Pass tickets for 6 days. If traveling during the off-season again, I would probably purchase 2nd class tickets because the trains were never crowded. I would purchase 1st class if traveling during the busy summer season.
- I like the smaller villages more than the big cities, so I would not spend a day in Geneva again. I would take a train to Geneva the morning of my flight.
- I wish we had not reserved a room for two nights in Zermatt due to the unpredictable weather. I’m too afraid to wait until I’m in the country to make my hotel reservations, but I almost wish I had done that. That way, we could have looked at the weather map and known that we wouldn’t be able to see the Matterhorn and limit our time there to one night.
Things I loved about Switzerland:
- Ease of travel via the trains. The SBB app is amazing and makes it so easy (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/)
- Safety: I would feel safe traveling there alone.
- Beauty: Of course the beautiful landscape is unmatched.
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Hi JLB,
This is amazing. You’ve managed to cover a lot of places in one week. I’m glad the weather didn’t deter you from sightseeing and enjoying yourself. Good advice on the Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/)
Thank you for sharing!
Regards,
Anna
Thank you JLB for your trip report. Great to know you enjoyed yourself although its a pity the weather and hotel didn’t work out for you at Zermatt. We also prefer the little villages compared to the cities.
September is a good month (https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/best-time-to-visit/) because it will be better for hiking. You may also catch the cow parade when they come down from the mts. Hope you get to visit lovely Switzerland again and enjoy the picture postcard views again.
Regards.
Hi JLB,
Thank you for your trip report. It was a very nice read.
In spite of some lousy weather, it sounds like you had a great time. Obviously, it is a hit or miss sort of thing, especially in such a place as Zermatt. I spent two nights in Zermatt both this past September and September of five years ago. This past year, the weather was lousy, and I saw the Matterhorn for about four hours. Last time there the weather was perfect, with nothing but blue skies. It’s too bad you had bad weather this time around. I am going back this coming September for 4 nights and am hoping for better weather, obviously. Again, hit or miss. Generally speaking, September is a good time to go. It’s after the tourist season, and anything one wants to see in the summer season can still be seen but less crowded. In some places, it may not matter, but generally speaking, it is, although September is becoming more busy as time goes on. A lot of hiking that you may have wanted to do in April will be open in September as well. In April, May, and some of early June, some hikes may not yet be open, depending on the elevation. One of the differences may be seeing some more flowers in May..
I agree as far as the difference between first and second class on the STP ( https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/) I did second class on my first trip and first class this past September. On long distance trips I was asked to present a travel.pass, but on smaller, local trips, not so much. I am still debating on which class to with this coming trip.
As far as safety was/Is concerned, I never felt unsafe in any village I visited. Even in the larger city of Zurich on my last night there.
I hope you have a great time on your next trip and the trip after.
Regards,
Danielsan
Thanks so much for your report, which I really enjoyed.
You did an awful lot of what we plan to do. We have a reservation at the Suisse Majestic in Montreux for five nights which we are really looking forward to. We will be there at the start of October.
We are also catching the Prestige Class on the Goldenpass Express, from Interlaken to Montreux, we are spending seven nights in Wengen after three in Zermatt.
We too are mainly visiting Zermatt for the Matterhorn, and I am hoping against hope for some good weather. We booked a nice hotel with a Matterhorn view room, I will be happy just to get a peek from the balcony! If not, what can you do, it does look like a cute village anyway, so we will just wander around.
Thanks again for a very enjoyable read.
So. Many. Questions.
I read your trip report and want to thank you for the great information! This will be my and hubby’s first trip to Switzerland and I have a LOT of questions.
- You landed in Geneva (which is what we are doing) and took the train to Montreaux. Is the train at the airport? Is it the Swiss Rail Pass?
- You took the Golden Pass Express to Interlaken. Is that part of the Swiss Rail Pass?
- You also took the train to Lucerne. Is that also part of the Swiss Rail Pass?
- From Interlaken, you went to Grindelwald. How did you get there? I’ve heard it is beautiful!
- I’d love to see the Matterhorn. Does the Swiss Rail Pass cover the train from Interlaken to Zermatt?
As I write this, I’m seeing a theme :). I don’t fully understand the train system. If I buy this Swiss Rail Pass, can I get to all these beautiful places? Thanks for any help you can offer.
Cheers,
Lynn Berney
Hi Lynn,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
Happy to hear you found JLB’s trip report helpful for your own planning 🙂
The Swiss Travel Pass is the rail pass that she used. It covers travel (train, boat, bus) throughout Switzerland so yes, you can reach all the destinations you list. I recommend you take a read of our handy guide and watch the video too. You will also see there is also a coverage map so you can see all the routes the pass covers. There are also some trusted online purchase options too, so your pass can be conveniently emailed to you.
Here’s the link:
(For mountain transport, you will find in general (there are a few exceptions) you will need an additional ticket but it will be discounted).
Answers to your questions.
- Yes, there is a train station at Geneva airport. Yes you can use the Swiss Travel Pass to reach Montreux.
- A ride on the Golden Pass route is included with the Swiss Travel Pass in the respective class but not the seat reservations. All about the Golden Pass here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/goldenpass/
- Yes, all covered with the Swiss Travel Pass.
- Use the Swiss timetable to research and plan your journeys: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/.
- All about a visit to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise in our handy guide in link attached: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/matterhorn/
All about the Swiss train system is explained here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/train/how-it-works/
I hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thank you so much. Do you mind if I get advice on our possible itinerary? I really feel overwhelmed! By the way, our trip is in October.
Sunday- land in Geneva at 4:30PM. Take train to hotel in Montreaux.
Monday- explore Montreaux (Chillon Castle, Roches-de-Naye)
Tuesday- take train to Gruyere and explore cheese factory. Take cab(?) to Broc and explore chocolate factory. Train back to hotel in Montreaux.
Wednesday- take Golden Pass Express to Interlaken. Explore Interlaken then take train back to hotel in Montreaux.
Thursday- take train to Zermatt to see Matterhorn OR take mountain train to Stoos. Take train back to hotel in Montreaux.
Friday- check out of hotel and take train to Geneva. Walk around Geneva until plane leaves at 9:30PM.
How does this sound? Constructive criticism and advice appreciated! Thank you.
Hi Lynn,
Your plans look fine 🙂 Some nice choices.
I don’t think you will need to take a cab to Maison Cailler in Broc. It’s doable via public transportation. Take a look at the attached link which explains all:
Use the Swiss timetable to plan the trip accordingly: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/
Additional links based on your itinerary:
- Montreux: https://www.myswissalps.com/town/montreux/
- Maison du Gruyère: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/la-maison-du-gruyere/
- Zermatt: https://www.myswissalps.com/town/zermatt/
- Geneva: https://www.myswissalps.com/town/geneva/
Happy travels.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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